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In case you haven’t noticed the lights, trees, ornaments, reindeer, and wreaths in North Bank Stores, the Christmas shopping season has officially begun. Camas Antiques is ready to give you a holly-jolly head start with its Holiday Open House, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Nov. 10-12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all days.

The vintage goods store will give away gifts to the first 40 customers Friday and Saturday and the first 20 customers on Sunday—a beautiful fox ornament for your Christmas tree. There will also be complimentary kettle corn and honey crisp apple cider. Dealers all over the store, on both floors, will offer special sales on their antique, vintage, upcycled and repurposed furniture, jewelry, accessories, homewares, and holiday decorations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years. (Whew! That’s quite a list!) You’ll also get plenty of inspiration from Camas Antiques’ legendary holiday displays.

Camas Antiques is located in the heart of downtown Camas at 305 N.E. 4th Ave. Parking is available on the street. For more details and to get a preview of what’s in the store, visit the Camas Antiques Facebook page. In case you can’t make it to the open house, never fear: there will be holiday sales, specials, and themed displays right up until Christmas.

Above image: a close-up of the fox ornament to be given to 100 lucky customers!

Calling all pumpkinheads! Seattle’s Elysian Brewing—which hosts the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival in Seattle every year (this year, it was on Sept. 29-30…so sad to have missed it!)—is taking its pumpkin revelry on the road to various locations in Oregon—with a stop at Ben’s Bottle Shop in Vancouver on Thursday, Oct. 19. Elysian Brewing head brewer Josh Waldman will be on-site at Ben’s Bottle Shop to offer several limited-release pumpkin specialty beers that will only be available at select tour locations. Costumes and pumpkin flare are encouraged!

Ben’s Bottle Shop will have eight (EIGHT!) different kinds of Elysian pumpkin beers on tap from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1—including a beer-filled pumpkin firkin. There will be swag giveaways, cornhole contests, and did we mention pumpkin beer? Pour the gourd, people, POUR THE GOURD! All of this with no cover charge, and of course Ben’s Bottle Shop will be serving its full, seriously delicious, beer-friendly food like buffalo bacon Cheddar burgers, sea scallop po’ boys, and mac & cheese with Ben’s special Cheddar stout sauce. Elysian pumpkin brews on tap are:

Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Dark o’ the Moon Pumpkin Stout

Great Pumpkin Imperial

Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale

Dark Knife Pumpkin Swarzbier

Cursed Hearse Pumpkin Saison

Gourdfather Pumpkin Barleywine

Blight Spiced Pumpkin Brown Ale

After the pumpkin-mania, feel free to stick around until closing time (11 p.m.), enjoy some more food, catch some sports on the big-screen TVs, and take home a growler or a bottle from Ben’s huge selection. Ben’s Bottle Shop is located at 8052 E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. Other locations on the Great Pumpkin Roadshow include Bend, Eugene, Salem and Portland; for more details, visit http://www.elysianbrewing.com/calendar/great-pumpkin-beer-festival/.

The National Park Service and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, in partnership with Academia Duellatoria, would like to announce a 19th Century Military Saber Training Course, Beginning and Intermediate levels. This course is open to the public, ages 12 and over. The training course lasts seven weeks, and takes place on Sundays, Oct. 1 through Nov. 12, from 4 pm to 5:30 pm, at the Pearson Air Museum Historic Hangar (or outdoors during good weather).

In 1854, troopers with the U.S. Army’s 1st Regiment of Dragoons arrived in the Pacific Northwest. At that time, dragoons (mounted infantry) were the only U.S. Army enlisted-rank soldiers that were issued sabers as part of their personal weaponry. This training course will focus on the saber techniques adopted by the U.S. Army in the mid-19th century. There will also be information provided related to the history of Fort Vancouver, the dragoons and their weaponry, and saber-driven military tactics. Once a certain level of expertise has been achieved, there will be reenactment opportunities for trainees during events at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Unlike sword work seen in the movies and media, true sword training is similar to many other martial arts—requiring physical discipline, mental control, and the development of muscle memory. Beginning Level training will start with basic footwork, then move into solo and partner drills on offensive cuts and thrusts, and defensive guards and parries. The drills provide a good sense of what sparring is like. Intermediate Level training (for those who have previously participated in a Beginning Level training), will consist of additional solo and partner drills focusing on perfecting form and more advanced interactive sequences.

The cost is $100 per person for the seven week training course. Training sabers will be provided. These training sabers have dull edges and rubber covers on the tips. Safety glasses will be provided. To sign up, contact Elaine Dorset at 360-816-6254.

Above image: saber students at last year’s Canterbury Faire in Silverton, Oregon. To see more cool pictures of sword fights and other duelling fun, visit Academia Duellatoria’s Facebook page.

Dust off your saddle shoes and join local nonprofit Friends of Fort Vancouver at their Swing Back to the 50s fundraiser from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Pearson Air Museum Historic Hangar. Music will be provided by the VanPort Jazz Band, which is widely acclaimed throughout the region for popular swing and jazz tunes. Attendees are invited to wear 1950s styles, either casual or “dressed to the nines.” A no-host bar will provide refreshments. This is an opportunity to join in the fun—on the dance floor or just to listen to the wonderful old songs!

Admission is $30 per ticket. Ticket sales are limited and must be purchased in advance through the Friends website at friendsfortvancouver.org or in person at the Friends Bookstore in the Visitor Center at 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd. on the Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve. Tickets will not be available for sale at the event.

The Historic Hangar at Pearson Air Museum is located 1115 E Fifth St. near Fort Vancouver. The mission of the Friends of Fort Vancouver is to inspire, inform and connect visitors, supporters, advocates and the community to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Columbia Springs is a nonprofit whose mission is to offer a unique setting where educational experiences foster greater awareness of the natural world, inspiring stewardship. They envision a community which values the environment and does what it can to protect it for future generations. With over 100 acres of natural parkland, it’s open to the public for free, every day from dawn to dusk.

The historic site is the current home of the Vancouver Trout Hatchery, which was built in 1938 as part of the Works Progress Administration during Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. It’s a protected natural area which contributes to the city’s total tree canopy cover, filters stormwater before it reaches the Columbia River, and provides habitat for resident and migratory wildlife.

This event is free! For more event information and questions, contact the museum at info@cchmuseum.org or by phone at 360-993-5679.

Above image: historic buildings at Columbia Springs and part of the trout hatchery.

Nothing says “summer’s bounty” like bushels of ripe, juicy tomatoes, just waiting to be made into salsa and sauce—or better yet, sliced and eaten fresh with a dash of salt and a drizzle of olive oil! Or diced up into a salad…or stuffed and baked…or sun dried…or roasted…or stewed…or made into a BLT…

The folks at Gather and Feast Farm know how you feel about tomatoes, and they feel the same way: pure love. That’s why they’re hosting the first annual TomatoFest Northwest from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at their farm in La Center. TomatoFest celebrates all things tomato, and features contests for the best home-grown tomato and the best salsa—with opportunities for guests to taste both! On-site vendors will provide food and beer for sale. There will be live music, family-friendly games (including the endlessly amusing Rotten Tomato Launch), as well as culinary and seed-saving demonstrations by local chefs and farmers.

Entry to the festival is $5, and kids age 10 and under are free. If you want to enter your tomato or salsa in the contest, there’s a $10 entry fee. Tickets can be purchased at TomatoFestNW.EventBrite.com. Gather and Feast Farm is located at 2706 N.E. 369th St., deep in the farmland of La Center. To learn more about Gather and Feast Farm—which also hosts delicious farm-to-table dinners and private events—visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gatherandfeastfarm/. The next event is the Harvest Feast on Sept. 30.

What happens at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge after dark? Nope, there aren’t any vampires (at least that we know of), but there are probably a few bats, which you might have the pleasure of seeing during a Night Hike on the Kiwa Trail, happening from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

The Refuge’s Kiwa Trail may be a familiar trail by day, but it’s a whole new experience at night with the beautifully haunting sounds of bats, owls, and coyotes, not to mention mysterious rustlings in the brush from nocturnal animals like raccoons and opossums. There will be a full moon, perfect for the “Planet Walk,” (the evening’s theme), and you’ll encounter wildlife not normally encountered during the daytime on the Auto Tour Route. There will be a good deal of walking.

Hikers should bring an extra layer of clothes and wear comfortable walking shoes—the group will be walking for a full hour. Also a good idea: a flashlight, bug repellent, and binoculars. The hikes are free and family-friendly—all ages are welcome!—but space is limited to 20 people and reservations are required. For more information, contact Sean_Davis@fws.gov.

Summer’s end means cooler temps (we hope) and maybe even a little rain—and there’s no place cozier to celebrate the turning leaves and turning seasons than Latte Da Coffee House and Wine Bar, where there’s always something happening and always something delicious to eat or drink. This month, there’s live music, poetry and storytelling, trivia night, wine tasting, and of course COFFEE! To make it easier for you to plan, North Bank Now has laid out, in one handy-dandy list, everything that’s going on this month at Latte Da (which, we shamelessly confess, is one of our most favorite places in the Couve).

Latte Da has also got a full menu featuring some of the Couve’s best sandwiches—and some of its yummiest small plates and appetizers, perfect with a glass of craft beer, cider, or fine wine. Latte Da, open most days from 6:30 to 8 p.m., is located in a cozy old home at 205 E. 39th St. in Vancouver and is an all-day destination for coffee, wine, light meals and live music. Street parking is available. For more details about these and other events, visit lattedacoffeehouse.com.

Monday, Sept. 4, Musicians’ Open Mic Night: come to perform…or to listen. All ages are welcome. Sign-ups start at 6 p.m. and music starts around 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 18, Trivia Night: come on down and show off your brain power from 6 to 8 p.m. while enjoying drinks and appetizers. There’s a 2$ suggested donation benefiting Must Love Dogs NW.

Thursday, Aug. 31, End-of-Summer Wine Tasting and Sale: welcome the coming fall with wine in Latte Da’s beautiful Tasting Room from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Four tastes are $12. Small appetizers will be provided. Bottles and glasses of the wines being poured will be available for purchase. Bring a date (…better yet, come early for Latte Da’s Happy Hour from 4 to 7 p.m.).

Imagined Ink is the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District‘s annual writing contest for preteens and teens in sixth through 12 grades. Entries are read by a panel of judges, and prizes are awarded to winners in two age groups: middle school (sixth through eight graders) and high school (ninth through 12th graders). Winners will be announced at the Awards Celebration & Author Visit featuring award-winning author Malinda Lo on Saturday, Oct. 21. Lo will also present a Teen Writing Workshop earlier that day—be sure to sign up! The winning stories will be published on the library’s website on Oct. 23.

Entries, which should be 1,000 words or less, can be submitted between now and Oct. 1. Stories must be submitted via this online form. Stories should be original work of any genre, about any topic, and authored by the person who submits it. Only one entry is allowed per person.

Imagined Ink is open to anyone in grades 6 to 12 who lives within, attends school, or is home schooled in the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District and the Woodland School District. For complete contest rules and information, or to read the stories written by 2016’s winners, visit new.fvrl.org/imagined-ink.

Kick off downtown Vancouver’s First Friday Artwalk on Sept. 1 with a visit to Cellar 55 Tasting Room. Enjoy their September First Friday wine tasting ($7, refunded with each two-bottle purchase) while enjoying this month’s cool art exhibit by Erika Bartlett. Stick around for live music on the patio and enjoy another beautiful evening under the grapevines. Jesse Samsel will be performing classic and alt-rock music from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: a little Fleetwood Mac, some Rolling Stones, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers thrown in for good measure. Samsel has a lot of fans and he always packs the house, so be sure to get here early enough to claim your seat; happy hour at Cellar 55 lasts from 2 to 6 p.m. on Fridays, with $2 off all glasses of wine and $2 off all cheese and charcuterie items.

From 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, you can unleash your inner Picasso (or Monet…or Pollock…whatever your personal style is!) at the next Wine & Canvas class. Experienced instructors will guide you through a fun afternoon of painting your masterpiece, and happy hour specials will keep those creative juices flowing. All materials are provided by Wine & Canvas. Sign up on the Wine & Canvas website by clicking here; if the event is sold out, never fear—there’s a Wine & Canvas class every month at Cellar 55.

If painting isn’t your thing but being totally calm, centered, and wildly flexible is, sign up for Wine & Yoga from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21. Awaken your senses, drink great wine and nosh on tasty snacks. All of this bliss for just $25 (including wine). Click here to purchase your ticket.

September is National Recovery Month, an annual observance to increase awareness that treatment can enable those with a substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. Vancouver is celebrating National Recovery Month with two special events on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4.

The Hands Across the Bridge Project began in 2002, founded by Patty Katz and Louise Wedge with support from the Recovery Association Project and the recovering community. That year was the first Hands Across the Bridge celebration on the I-5 bridge, drawing about 500 participants. Today, it has grown to over 3,000 participants—and it looks like it will just keep growing! Hands Across the Bridge helps break the stigma of addition by encouraging people to join hands across the I-5 Bridge from Washington to Oregon, in a powerful celebration of the unity and strength of recovery. It’s open to those in recovery, friends and family members, and anyone who supports recovery and substance abuse prevention. For more details about this year’s event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 4, visit the Facebook event page at https://northbanknow.com/2017/08/hands-across-bridge-oxfest/.

After the event, everyone is welcome to attend Oxfest, a day-long music festival and celebration of recovery in Esther Short Park. Oxfest is sponsored by Oxford Houses of Oregon and Washington, a network of self-governed, self-supported sober houses for men and women in recovery. The family-friendly Oxfest features live bands, food vendors, activities and games, raffles, and more.

Both events are free and open to anyone in recovery, their families, and community supporters. To learn more, visit handsacrossthebridge.org.

The grapes are ripening and it’s almost harvest season! Celebrate the wines that are about to be made—and the delicious, award-winning wines that already have been made!—at Burnt Bridge Cellars this First Friday with live music, original art, and great food from Class Cooking.

Tom May—a professional folk singer for more than four decades—writes and plays his own music, as well as eloquently interpreting the songs of others. He performe for audiences throughout the U.S., Canada, and overseas. Originally from the plains of Nebraska, May has called Toronto, Boston, St. Louis, and Omaha home, but has stayed in the Northwest since 1996. On 12 and six-string guitars, he accompanies his baritone voice with intricate stylings rarely heard in folk music. His concerts feature stories, humor, and occasionally even the Irish pennywhistle. He has appeared on dozens of radio and television programs, including the weekly radio/TV program River City Folk, National Public Radio’s syndicated Mountain Stage, Radio Eirhenn’s Andy O’Mahoney show in Ireland, and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation’s Ian Tyson TV Show. Learn more at www.tommayfolk.com.

Glenn Miller, whose photography will be displayed in Burnt Bridge’s tasting room this month, is a retired entrepreneur and award-winning photographer. His photos at Burnt Bridge Cellars focus primarily on landscapes and profiles on the beauty of the Pacific Northwest from the Painted Hills to Oregon Coast and everywhere in between. You can see more of his work at glenmiller.smugmug.com and 2can2images.com.

Finally, the food: Chef Kim Mahan of Class Cooking (just next door to Burnt Bridge) will whip up some small plates to go with all that great wine. You can enjoy meat and vegetarian pizzas, Caesar salad, and panna cotta with fresh berries.

Erika Bartlett‘s sky-inspired artworks are on display now at Cellar 55 Tasting Room in downtown Vancouver. Looking at her pastel-washed sky images, your eyes are drawn to details like clouds or subtle variations in color. It makes you feel as though your inside the sky, and your soul feels a little lighter. “The sky is a universal feature seen from many perspectives all at once,” says Barlett. “It is interesting subject matter.”

Bartlett has been a studio artist for a decade and has her eyes set on emerging into public art. “My work is a great fit for wellness and corporate spaces because of its contemplative nature,” she says, “I prefer to work business to business as I am passionate about the function of art in our daily living. Public art takes that to the next level.”

Local artist and curator Greg Bee has invited Bartlett to display a selection of works at Cellar 55 throughout the month of September. Drop by the tasting room any time from 5 to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Sept. 1, for $10 wine flights and music by Jesse Samsel. Bartlett herself will be there, available to answer questions about her work, her process, and her inspiration. All the art you’ll see is for sale, and Bartlett donates 5% of all her fine art purchases to Southwest Washington Elder Abuse Prevention.

Cellar 55 is located at 1812 Washington St. in downtown Vancouver. Their patio will be open and happy hour is from 2 to 6 p.m. on Fridays.

Silver Moon Brewing from Bend, Oregon—makers of such fine craft brews as IPA 97, Chapter 2 Casual Ale, Ghost Fields Rye IPA, and Crazy Horse Double IPA—will be at Caps N’ Taps in downtown Camas for a Tap Takeover from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1. Keenan from Silver Moon will be on site to talk beer, drink beer, and fill pint glasses with Silver Moon brews like Tropic Zombie IPA, Mango Daze Pale Ale, and Brokedown Palace. As always, there will be plenty of swag to be raffled off, as well as a crowler (or three) so come early, drink often, and get raffle tickets.

Sept. 1 is also First Friday in downtown Camas, when shops, art galleries, coffeeshops and eateries will be open late for shopping and good times. September’s First Friday features an all-day plein air art event, an abundance of original art all over dowtown, a Bronze Bird Art Tour, activities for kids, a raffle for merchant prizes, and more. For full details, click here.

Gallery 360 invites you to “Flowers & Figures,” a special September exhibition by mother/daughter artists Lesley Faulds and Kelsey Birsa. Their paintings—which are displayed in Gallery 360’s Community Room—emphasize self-consciousness, self-awareness (or sometimes the lack of it) and the connection between mind and body, with each artist influencing the other. While you’re at Gallery 360, you’ll want to also be sure and see the vivid acrylic paintings of Shirley Ann Anderson, who is September’s featured gallery artist.

You can meet all the artists in person at a First Friday reception from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1. There will be live music and complimentary light refreshments. The exhibition is running now through Saturday, Sept. 30.

Gallery 360 is located inside the historic yellow Slocum House in the southwest corner of Esther Short Park at 605 Esther St. in downtown Vancouver. Regular gallery hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free. For more information, call 360-693-7340 or visit www.gallery360.org.

Image, top: detail from original work by Lesley Faulds. Image, above right: detail from “Negative Space,” by Kelsey Birsa.

This year’s trail counts will occur from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 12-14 and from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 16 and 17. A variety of two-hour volunteer shifts are available at many different locations. Even if you can’t volunteer, come out and walk, bike or roller blade at your favorite locations on these days! Locations include:

Latte Da Coffee House and Wine Bar is hosting a back-to-school supply drive. If you stop by for a cup of coffee, a sandwich and a pastry, or to sample some fine wine in Latte Da’s Wine Room, you can leave new, in-the-package school supplies such as glue sticks, pencils, paper, colored markers, erasers, rulers and blunt-edged scissors in the designated drop-off area. Cash donations are also welcome. All supplies and donations will go to Lincoln Elementary.

In support of the school supply drive, Latte Da is also hosting a Bingo and S’Mores Night from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1. A donation of school supplies or a $2 contribution buys you a Bingo card so that you can play and win prizes. And did we mention gooey, chocolatey delicious s’mores toasted over Latte Da’s firepit? YES! All ages are welcome, especially kids!

Latte Da has also got a full menu featuring some of the Couve’s best sandwiches—and some of its yummiest small plates and appetizers, perfect with a glass of craft beer, cider, or fine wine. Latte Da, open most days from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., is located at 205 E. 39th St. in Vancouver and is an all-day destination for coffee, wine, light meals, and live music. Street parking is available. For more details about these and other events, visit lattedacoffeehouse.com or check them out on Facebook.

Players are given a daily challenge at 7 a.m. starting Friday, Sept. 1, and lasting until Sept. 30. Players may submit replies to each of the tasks involved throughout the month to either Facebook, Twitter, by commenting on the 3O Days blog, or by e-mail. Players can choose to play as many days as they would like throughout the month. Players may also catch up and complete past tasks for the month if they miss any days. All tasks will be short and will not require a significant amount of time to complete.

CRESA’s primary goal is for people to share information about emergency preparedness on social media in order to reach people who may not otherwise think about being ready for disasters. Submissions will be reviewed for creativity, relativity to the task, and popularity. Winners—to be selected in October—will be rewarded with Amazon gift cards.

You might not know this, but inside Angst Gallery is a very exclusive, very high-class “inner gallery” where only the most high-end art is exhibited. It’s called “The Loo-vre,” and it is located…in the bathroom. It is open, well, any time you need to go (that is, any time you need to go during regular gallery hours). The Loo-vre’s featured artist for September is Matthew Harmon, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, roaming the “immense and ancient” forest.

He was particularly struck by the place where encroaching suburban development met the wildness of the woods, where non-living intersected with living, the rigid lines of new construction juxtaposed with the free-growing chaos of old growth forest. He is drawn to the “contentious, careless separation between our culture and the so-called natural world,” he says. “Through our technological obstructions we stave off the flora and fauna, the organic.” Harmon’s arresting artworks featuring natural, flowing forms are right at home in a space created to serve basic biological needs.

What’s the best possible way to celebrate Labor Day weekend? By drinking lots of wine, of course—followed closely by eating delicious food! Clark County’s craft wineries are teaming up to offer a Food & Wine Pairing Weekend from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, Sunday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 4. Nearly every winery in Southwest Washington will be open during those hours, offering chef-prepared small plates, delectable finger foods and appetizers to enjoy with award-winning wines. Notable wineries to visit include the following (click on each for details about hours, directions, and special offerings such as food and live music):

You can sip and sample local culinary and enological delights like the ever-popular Chardonnay, as well as lesser-known varietals like Golubok, Marechal-Foch and Zweigelt-Rebe. Supplemented with grapes sourced from warmer climates nearby (predominantly Eastern Washington), local wineries are able to produce wines for nearly every palate. Many locations will offer live music and discounts on wine by the glass and by the bottle—and most Southwest Washington wineries are small enough that, in all likelihood, the winemakers themselves will be pouring for you. To see a map of all participating wineries, visit www.swwawine.com.

The weekend is also the last chance to complete the region’s “Summer Passport Challenge,” where wine-lovers collect stamps at all 10 participating wineries. All who complete the challenge will win a prize and be entered in a drawing to be held after Labor Day. Free passports are available at participating wineries and online at the Southwest Washington Winery Association website, swwawine.com.